Taking drugs to study harder? No thanks.

Mind-enhancing drugs: Are they a no-brainer? — The Independent

Okay, here’s the deal.  Students all over America are turning to all sorts of drugs to enhance their perfor­mance.  People who are for the use of these drugs often attack those against it by claiming they are in their “ivory tower” and simply taking the moral high ground.

I’m not so sure it’s a matter of morality or reli­gious zeal.  I may be against the use of drugs (and generally putting into your body things that are not from nature), but I’ve found an argument against the use of drugs involving more substantial than what moral crusaders would debate.

There are kids who can’t afford these drugs.  Allowing perfor­mance enhancing drugs creates an even more deeply strat­ified educa­tional envi­ronment.  Already colleges have become busi­nesses.  Univer­sities have estab­lished them­selves as a brand, and those who can afford Ivy League schools come out with an auto­matic badge of distinction.  Those who cannot afford to go to an Ivy League school are already in a less advan­ta­geous position than those who have.  This same strat­i­fi­cation will be exac­er­bated by the emer­gence of legal usage of drugs that enhance perfor­mance.  The kids who can afford the drugs will earn higher grades, and therefore receive more attention and gain more oppor­tu­nities to succeed than those who earn lesser grades.

So little Mikey who comes from a lower middle class family goes to a mediocre school. Mikey’s got a natural knack for numbers, and he earns A’s easily. He gets noticed in the fifth grade and gets sent to a junior high school for gifted students. He excels and enters an élite specialized high school. Here he comes across a student body that is comprised mostly of kids from upper class families. These upper class students have access to the drugs, as well as the money required to obtain the drugs. Mikey, though natu­rally talented, needs the guidance and coaching of a dedi­cated teacher in order to grow as a math­e­matician: calculus is a tough subject to tackle without someone to show you the ropes. So in his math class, Mikey is an excellent student, but he doesn’t really shine as much as he ought to. That’s because there are other less talented students who are otherwise earning high marks because of their access to drugs. Maybe Mikey’s getting A’s with ease, but his achievement is dimin­ished in the context of his classroom because Johnathan and the rest of his friends are taking Adderall and amphetamines.

Drugs in general are just a bad idea, for many reasons. But that’s all I’ve got for now.

ADDENDUM
I’ve heard the argument that the United States Air Force gives its fighter pilots amphet­a­mines. Well, here’s the thing…they’re flying a multi-million dollar machine, and their mental capac­ities can often be the difference between life and death. I don’t think you can compare that to a night of cramming for finals.